

Getting Hammered
Laissez-Faire Media
A sharp, funny politics podcast for people who want the news without the freakout.
Each week, Getting Hammered takes a hammer to the headlines, breaking down politics, media spin, and cultural meltdowns with skepticism and fun. Overcaffeinated and underprepared, moderately right and moderately reliable, we never take ourselves too seriously. But keep you informed on serious topics with no panic and no partisan loyalty tests. Just laughs, well-earned side-eye, and occasional libations.
Each week, Getting Hammered takes a hammer to the headlines, breaking down politics, media spin, and cultural meltdowns with skepticism and fun. Overcaffeinated and underprepared, moderately right and moderately reliable, we never take ourselves too seriously. But keep you informed on serious topics with no panic and no partisan loyalty tests. Just laughs, well-earned side-eye, and occasional libations.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Dec 17, 2021 • 49min
It's All About the Benjamins
From Ben Affleck to the Build Back Better Act, on this episode of Getting Hammered, it's all about the Benjamins. The Atlantic publishes a story on Covid from someone outside of the media bubble, Elon Musk swings at Senator Elizabeth Warren, and Mary Katharine and Vic read letters to Santa from one hundred years ago.Times
00:11 - Segment: Welcome to the Show
13:29 - Segment: The News You Need to Know
13:35 - Ben Affleck drama, and Jennifer Garner being a class act
25:19 - Sen. Joe Manchin to kill BBB
32:52 - Based billionaire Elon Musk takes a crack at Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Twitter
33:39 - Segment: You Love to See It
33:41 - Matthew Walther piece in The Atlantic: Where I Live, No One Cares About Covid
40:11 - Mary Katharine's potato chip Reese's review
44:23 - Santa letters from 1921
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Dec 15, 2021 • 41min
The Ideas Man
Would a can of Vienna Sausages outlast mask mandates? CDC director Rochelle Walensky thinks so. Elon Musk joins the ranks of Mary Katharine's husband as an Ideas Man, a comedian and an MSNBC host butt heads, and California experiences a bacon shortage.Times
00:12 - Segment: Welcome to the Show
11:15 - Segment: The News You Need to Know
11:22 - Covid updates: California reinstates indoor mask mandate, Philadelphia requires vaccines for indoor dining, first Omicron-variant death in the UK
13:12 - CDC director Rochelle Walensky says masks are for now, not forever
16:13 - Dr. Angelique Coetzee, one of the doctors who discovered Omicron,
22:55 - Time magazine names Elon Musk Person of the Year
29:24 - Sarah Silverman butts heads with MSNBC's Joy-Ann Reid
33:01 - Bacon shortage in California
38:35 - Tornadoes rock Kentucky
Links for charities helping tornado victimsSamaritan's purseMercy ChefsRelevant Church's Tornado Relief Fund Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 10, 2021 • 47min
Tell Us Something We Don't Know
The New York Times reports a groundbreaking story: Parents are upset about school closures. Color Mary Katharine and Vic surprised (not). The Supreme Court hears a case on voucher programs, Democrats are losing the vaccine mandate debate, and Chris Cuomo officially gets the boot from CNN.Times
00:12 - Segment: Welcome to the Show
09:50 - Segment: The News You Need to Know
10:02 - Breaking news from the New York Times: Parents are frustrating with schools
20:45 - Supreme Court hears case on voucher programs and religious institutions
27:23 - Dems lose vaccine mandate battles in court
36:28 - CNN kicks Chris Cuomo to the curb
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Dec 8, 2021 • 52min
Gluttons for Punishment
More than half of young adults are overweight. Stacey Abrams is back for another gubernatorial race. Mary Katharine's college football woes. And Reese's is now adding potato chips to their peanut butter cups—which Vic isn't so sure about. We're not just gluttons—we're gluttons for punishment. Times
00:12 - Segment: Welcome to the Show
12:50 - Segment: The News You Need to Know
12:55 - New York City mayor Bill DeBlasio announces a new vaccine mandate
23:40 - Childhood obesity in the United States
31:38 - Stacey Abrams throws her hat back into the ring, and claims she never denied the results of her first go at the governor's mansion
35:46 - Former Senator Bob Dole dies at age 98
40:35 - Segment: You Love to See It
40:40 - Democrats fall flat on "Latinx" language, via Politico
44:40 - There's nothing at all to talk about sports this week, especially not the SEC championship
46:33 - Reese's releases a peanut butter cup with potato chips
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Dec 3, 2021 • 51min
La Science, C'est Moi
Dr. Anthony Fauci is the science, according to... himself. But Mary Katharine and Vic aren't so sure he—or the Biden administration, for that matter—knows how to tackle the Omicron variant. The Supreme Court hears oral arguments on the Mississippi abortion case, the Women's Tennis Association takes a stand against China, and we learn the history of the golf course beverage cart. Times
00:12 - Segment: Welcome to the Show
09:45 - Segment: The News You Need to Know
09:56 - The Omicron variant is here
16:00 - Fauci faces his foes
19:27 - Segment: You Love to See It
19:34 - Reporter asks Fauci a tough question
25:20 - Oral arguments at the Supreme Court on the Mississippi abortion case
33:12 - Women's Tennis Association quits China over Peng Shuai's disappearance
37:40 - Kids are increasingly cutting ties with their parents
44:35 - Golf.com tells the history of the golf course beverage cart
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Dec 1, 2021 • 47min
Censored
Mary Katharine and Vic have recovered from their Thanksgiving feasts and they're back to discuss Disney's decision to censor an episode of the Simpsons, as well as the new covid variant, fact-checkers, and some very unlucky pub dwellers in EnglandTimes
00:12 - Segment: Welcome to the Show
11:24 - Segment: The News You Need to Know
11:26 - The new coronavirus variant, Omicron
24:52 - Journalists and Harvard academics work to identify misinformation in the news
31:44 - Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey steps down
35:19 - Disney censors Simpsons episode with Tiananmen Square reference in Hong Kong
39:48 - Matthew McConaughey announces he will not run for governor of Texas
43:00 - England revelers stuck in pub for three days after snowstorm
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Nov 24, 2021 • 33min
Thanksgiving Special
Happy Thanksgiving from Mary Katharine and Vic! The hosts are here to talk about their Thanksgiving traditions and the topic they wish they were talking about all the time: food. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nov 19, 2021 • 44min
It's a Squeeze
We aren't sure who's still listening to Dr. Anthony Fauci, but he officially declared it safe to visit with family during the holidays. Businesses are changing shipping and packaging to fight supply chain woes, CNN takes a mostly unsuccessful drive around Brooklyn in a self-driving car, and a former Obama economic advisor gets real on inflation.Times
00:11 - Segment: Welcome to the Show
07:39 - Segment: The News You Need to Know
07:40 - Anthony Fauci says it's okay for the vaccinated to enjoy the holidays
22:00 - Britney Spears freed from conservatorship
27:14 - Shipping containers and supply chains
32:18 - CNN takes a self-driving car for a (mostly unsuccessful) spin in Brooklyn
39:14- Segment: You Love To Hear It
39:21 - Former Obama economic advisor gets real on inflation
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Nov 17, 2021 • 37min
Drama Drama Drama
There's drama in the White House—Kamala drama, that is. Mary Katharine and Vic talk about tumultuous relationships in the White House, as well as the Kyle Rittenhouse trial, a football miracle, dating while living with your parents, and Taylor Swift making money off of a relationship that ended more than a decade ago. Times
00:12 - Segment: Welcome to the Show
05:03 - Segment: The News You Need to Know
06:20 - Closing arguments of the Kyle Rittenhouse trial
14:40 - Kamala Drama
18:58 - The Detroit Lions did not lose
21:33 - The Atlantic story on dating while living at home
27:00 - The New York Times is concerned that there's no Covid vaccine for pets
29:39 - Decoding the Swifty drama
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Nov 12, 2021 • 54min
What's Le Plan
Kamala Harris fakes a French accent, Michigan's Attorney General has one too many Bloody Marys, and Morgan Ortagus rips Adam Schiff on the ViewTimes
00:13 - Segment: Welcome to the Show
06:06 -Segment: The News You Need to Know
06:45 - One too many Bloody Marys for Michigan's Democratic Attorney General
10:55 - Secretary of Education, teachers union head say no more masks outdoors for kids
17:08 - American campaign to vaccinate kids off to good start
20:37 - Updates on New Jersey State Senator Ed Durr
24:37 - Kyle Rittenhouse trial
34:57 - Car break-ins up in San Francisco
44:00 - Cotton Candy Lobster caught off the coast of Maine
46:14 - Bacon wrapped... presents? Feat. Coolio
51:11 - Segment: We Love to Hear It
51:49 - Morgan Ortagus rips Adam Schiff on the View
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